• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • San Diego Momma
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
San Diego Momma

San Diego Momma

Sharing some humor, a bit of writing and way too much information

Home / Etcetera / Hanging Upside Down

Hanging Upside Down

Etcetera

I heard it when I volunteered in my daughter’s kindergarten class last year.

“Dogs must be colored brown or black,” her teacher told her as Toots reluctantly put down the blue crayon.

 

I rose from the table where I’d been organizing glue sticks and went to my daughter’s desk.

“At home you can color dogs any way you want,” I whispered in her ear.

 

And after that, I made sure she knew I meant it.

“Dogs can be blue,” I told her later. “And suns can be purple, and not even round if you want, and skies can be brown and on the ground and trees can float and draw whatever your heart tells you.”

 

I’ll be damned if anyone is going to tell me or my daughter that dogs have to be brown or black.

 

Because you know what kills creativity?

SHOULD. MUST. HAVE TO.

 

And you know what kills me?

Putting those words into a creative child’s soul to fester and bloom into crazy perfectionism and self-editing and shame when she is old enough to think she should know “better.”

 

****************

 

When I was in my 20s, I noticed that one of my work colleagues wrote strange. His words slanted to the left, were choppy, and nearly illegible. He gripped the pen awkwardly, and seemed to hyper focus on his fingers as he drew letters and words. One day I asked him about it.

 

“My first grade teacher thought I shouldn’t write with my left hand,” he told me. “So she tied my left hand behind my back and made me use my right.”

 

My stomach churned. Even now, I conjure the anger I felt at his explanation.

 

“I still use my right hand, but…” he pointed to the paper in front of him, “improperly.”

 

My friend had gone to a Catholic school as I had, and apparently nuns considered left hand usage “evil.” So rather than allow a child to write as he were born to, the teacher tied his hand behind his back. And now he writes unnaturally.

 

Luckily, my school’s nuns didn’t see the Devil in every child’s soul or hands, but I had my share of hand slaps at wearing a hand painted shirt, flowered hat, and unsanctioned Halloween costumes. Which, in some cases, I get. There are rules in schools that prevent harm, ignorance, and general anarchy. But when it comes to creativity? I think every school should encourage self-expression, even if it means blue dogs.

 

****************

 

My very favorite sorts of people are those that buck the SHOULD, MUST, HAVE TO system. Those that don’t care to please nuns, teachers, the Devil or even God. Those that live to create without thought to living within lines, or drawing using accepted color palettes. Those that don’t fight what comes naturally. Because to deny what bubbles from the soul is like death.

 

I aim to teach my children this, and wish more teachers — and anyone who helps mold our childrens’ brains and hearts — would follow suit.

 

But for now, my friends? May your suns be purple and your dogs any fucking color you want.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

July 21, 2011 · 31 Comments

Sure I’d love to see you again

Previous Post: « PROMPTuesday #161: Summer Memories
Next Post: PROMPTuesday #162: The Truth Helps »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Kizz says

    July 21, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    It makes me genuinely stabby when teachers EDUCATORS!!!! pull crap like that. She’s a kid. She gets to color the dog any color she sees in her fabulous imagination.

    Grrrrrrrr! Purple dog growls at this.

    Reply
  2. Ginger says

    July 21, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    Man you hit a nerve with me. I’m a firm believer that school doesn’t teach creativity, they teach a very narrow-minded way of thinking.

    I distinctly remember getting a story back in the 5th grade and the teacher wrote, “A little far-fetched, don’t you think, Ginger?”

    Well excuse me for using my imagination.

    Reply
  3. Christina says

    July 21, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    Even this fairly anal retentive accountant would be pissed off to hear a teacher limit a child like that! It’s coloring for heaven’s sake! It’s SUPPOSED to be imaginative and creative!! Lord. Control freaks stifling children’s imaginations made me livid. She shouldn’t be teaching. Period.

    Reply
  4. Trish says

    July 21, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    Yay! For you and for creativity. It’s good to march to the beat of your own drum.

    Reply
  5. Laural Out Loud says

    July 21, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    I find it so ironic that my daughter’s school does a Masters art program every month, where they learn about a famous artist, usually ones that bucked the system back in their day (like Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh), but have the kids recreate the style exactly. No allowance for creatively recreating creative artists!

    Reply
  6. Tandy says

    July 21, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    I wonder what that teacher would have said to Picasso….”Little Pablo, there must be two eyes, one on either side of the face, there must be one nose in the center if the face and one mouth under the nose.” I am glad that teacher didn’t teach Picasso there would be some great works of art missing from the world and one never knows where the next great artist will come from.

    Reply
  7. Suebob says

    July 21, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    I was never “good” at art growing up. How do I know? Because teachers told me, either overtly or subtly. When I had some time in April in Costa Rica, I spontaneously started drawing. I had so much fun! My drawings weren’t great, but I really enjoyed doing them. I wish I had been drawing my whole life instead of waiting 35 years for the sting of teacher’s criticisms to wear off.

    Reply
  8. stephanie (bad mom) says

    July 21, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    Please believe that *this* teacher does not stifle the creativity – though it saddens me to see my high schoolers stunned when I set them free to choose their own ways with art, writing, discussion. They’re so not used to it by the time they’re teenagers. :(

    But I persevere.

    Your daughter’s teacher doesn’t make any sense – has she never seen a white, blond, or spotted dog? Some people are crazy.

    Reply
  9. Katie says

    July 21, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Take THIS, terrible teacher! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PMd6M7uXVDs/SmoT4N11ZeI/AAAAAAAABU4/eyirfT0nbzA/s1600-h/colorful+dogs.jpg

    Reply
  10. Sarah says

    July 21, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    Yeah, dogs can be blue, and should be if that child wants it to be that way. As an art teacher, mostly with the very young, I find it hard to sometimes be the one to tell the parents not to push their child into using scissors “the right way,” or hold a pencil “the right way.” Even simple tasks attempted to be corrected can hurt that inner budding butterfly. Cheers to all the parents – and teachers – out there still wanting to encourage creativity and individuality.

    Reply
  11. Rima says

    July 21, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    One of my favorite stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is called, “Eyes of a Blue Dog.”

    So there.

    Reply
  12. Jenean says

    July 21, 2011 at 3:08 pm

    brings back not so fond memories….kindergarten conference..we, the Royal we I guess, anyway, we are concerned, your daughter want’s to color everything purple. also when asked which is larger a cat or a dog she answered cat. I went home and asked her about the cat>dog thing, she said, “lions are in the cat family and they are larger than dogs…I thought, ok baby color my world purple!

    Reply
  13. JenniferfromLaJolla says

    July 21, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    I LOVE this post. When I was a little girl, my teacher at Richmond Montessori (MONTESSORI) called my parents to tell them that I she found it distracting that when I dressed myself, I mixed stripes with plaids. Distracting? Montessori? My parents were furious, almost pulled me out of the school (in hindsight, I might have learned math had they done that… but I digress). The good news is that they let me dress myself and that I felt comfortable enough to mix plaids and stripes. And that’s exactly how I have raised my kids.

    Reply
  14. Ferd says

    July 21, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    Right fucking on!

    Good for you. Toots is lucky to have you. :-)

    Reply
  15. Myra says

    July 21, 2011 at 5:08 pm

    As a lefty, I applaud you. :)

    Reply
  16. Chrisy says

    July 21, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    You’re awesome. I love this post. xo

    Reply
  17. Starr says

    July 21, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    AMEN…!!!!

    Reply
  18. Monica says

    July 21, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    I so agree. Freedom of expression starts in childhood. Kids should be allowed to color anything any color they want. I should know. As a schoolgirl in South America, when I was 9, the teacher told me exactly what to underline in my stories, and what to draw. Creativity was thrown out the window. Thank goodness I was only there a year.

    Reply
  19. Laura Lohr | My Beautiful Life says

    July 21, 2011 at 11:23 pm

    “May your suns be purple and your dogs any fucking color you want.”

    I love that!

    Reply
  20. tinsenpup says

    July 24, 2011 at 6:09 am

    This just makes me too angry. It’s a shame so many stupid people get to be teachers.

    Reply
  21. Cactus Petunia says

    July 24, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    Bravo! You handled that “teacher” better than I think I would have. I’d have been tempted to just smack her. And then send her this link: http://www.georgerodrigue.com/rodrigue/index2.htm

    And by the way, my two black dogs often look blue when viewed in the right light.

    Reply
  22. Barrie Summy says

    July 24, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    Your children are lucky to have you!

    Reply
  23. Mama Mary says

    July 24, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    This post floored me. How dare that teacher try to stifle the creativity of your precious creative soulful daughter! Or any child for that matter. The last line of this post is one of my favorite things i’ve ever read! xoxox I’m going to draw my middle finger and color it dayglow pink.

    Reply
  24. Jason says

    July 25, 2011 at 10:18 am

    Technically… there is a such thing as a blue dog. Your daughter is a genius to know this.
    http://www.blueweimaraner.com/

    Reply
  25. diamond dave says

    July 25, 2011 at 11:49 am

    I sorta take a middle ground here. I’m all for encouraging creativity, but I think children also need to be taught that at certain times in their lives creativity has to take a back seat to following directions. The trick is to get them to understand that there is a time and place to freely express themselves, and the real world doesn’t always make that possible in any given moment.

    But as far as your daughter goes, let her enjoy all the blue dogs her heart cares for. Kindergarteners coloring should be all about the creativity.

    Reply
  26. MomZombie says

    July 25, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    I agree a lot with what Diamond Dave says. It’s a tricky world out there. During a play date between my daughter and her friend, the girls debated whether to pretend to get married. The other girl said: My mom said GIRLS DO NOT GET MARRIED TO OTHER GIRLS. My girl looked at me, confused. I said: Girls can marry girls IF THEY WANT TO in this house and in many other places, too.

    Reply
  27. Cheri @ Blog This Mom! says

    July 27, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    This teacher obviously has not seen Blue’s Clues.

    Reply
  28. Ann says

    July 29, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    I’m semi shocked a teacher would say something like that. That is so 1950s.

    Great post.

    Reply
  29. Kate says

    July 29, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Blues Clues! Hilarious!

    Reply
  30. Rosemarie Brennan says

    August 10, 2011 at 9:22 am

    I stumbled upon this post by “accident.” I loved it!

    My picture book WILLOW (Sleeping Bear Press, 2008) is about just such an art teacher. One who has lots of “don’ts.” One whose art room is unnaturally neat. One whose students sit in rows, silent and still, like eggs in a carton, painting green trees and red apples. That’s how the art teacher, Miss Hawthorn, likes it.

    But then along comes Willow, who paints pink trees, blue apples, and polka dot pigs.

    In real life, I have been both Willow and Miss Hawthorn.

    It wasn’t until after I wrote WILLOW that I realized how many people can relate to these two characters. (I suspect that’s why Willow was named to the Oprah’s 2010 Kid’s Reading List – http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Books-for-6-to-9-Years-Old-2010-Kids-Reading-List/8).

    If you send me your address, I would be happy to mail Toots an autographed copy of WILLOW.

    Best wishes,

    Rosemarie Brennan
    ronibb@sbcglobal.net

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. San Diego Momma » Blog Archive » Hanging Upside Down | PreSchool Education and Technology | Scoop.it says:
    July 22, 2011 at 7:06 am

    […] San Diego Momma » Blog Archive » Hanging Upside Down Let there be blue dogs! Source: sandiegomomma.com […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

I love words. Every one, every time. (Except “moist.” That word can go.) …read more

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Sure. I’d love to see you again.

Categories

Archives

Blogroll

  • Blog This Mom
  • Da Goddess
  • Dirt and Noise
  • Discover San Diego
  • Foolery
  • Juggling Life
  • Mama Mary Show
  • Mel, A Dramatic Mommy
  • Mom Zombie
  • Mommy’s Martini
  • Motherhood is Not for Wimps
San Diego Momma

Footer

Archives

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

sandiegomomma

sandiegomomma
Back in Lake Geneva after 36 years… Circumstance Back in Lake Geneva after 36 years…
Circumstances have changed since post-Prom-picnic-circa-1986-vibes…
#WhereIsBryanAdamsNow
Dorm drop! 🏫👩‍🏫🥲💕 Dorm drop!
🏫👩‍🏫🥲💕
💫Travel poster for Saturday wine tasting.💫 💫Travel poster for Saturday wine tasting.💫
Celebrating the new 16-year-old with a quick Santa Celebrating the new 16-year-old with a quick Santa Monica trip.
And now she knows she doesn’t want to live in LA….
#LifeLessons
It’s happening….. It’s happening…..
Barely tolerating me….. Barely tolerating me…..
Beach day with my “little” one while big sis e Beach day with my “little” one while big sis explores Cal Poly…
Life transitions. Beautiful but I haz the olds.
#NotAboutMe #Whhhhyyyyy
A rare Bubbie sighting. Spotted in the wild. #HeDo A rare Bubbie sighting. Spotted in the wild. #HeDoesntLikePictures
Sunset squad. Brought a picnic and drinks to Del M Sunset squad.
Brought a picnic and drinks to Del Mar and watched the waves and horizon. Not too crowded or cold - another good hang with the neighborhood gang! ❤️❤️
Imprinting 2021 holidays on my brain (and in my In Imprinting 2021 holidays on my brain (and in my Instagram) (and in my antibodies). It’s a COVID New Year’s Eve…
Husband and I down for the count(down).
BUT. We’re doing decent and it’s cozy up in here…
Winery times! Winery times!
Guys on couch watching football; girls in kitchen Guys on couch watching football; girls in kitchen talking about everything.
Smells like a Sunday neighbor night. ;)
Line dancing lessons… My two left feet did nothi Line dancing lessons…
My two left feet did nothing right - but they did it with gusto.
Looking for a new book to read! #BookClub Despite Looking for a new book to read! #BookClub Despite the seeming divine intervention from above, we weren’t struck with the “perfect” next book to put on our list…..
Post-white-water-rafting super exhaustion. (Oh my Post-white-water-rafting super exhaustion.
(Oh my gosh you guys…! No! I’m not a sports model! But I totally understand how you might think so.) 😜😜😜
I wanted my hair to do that. #NordicSisters I wanted my hair to do that.
#NordicSisters
Dad’s hats on the people who loved/knew/laughed/ Dad’s hats on the people who loved/knew/laughed/sang with him.
Miss you Dad. Hope we do your hats justice. Lord knows we’ll have fun in them, just like you did. 😇
Paso Robles! Wine tasting beauty. It’s stunning Paso Robles! Wine tasting beauty. It’s stunning here. And the landscape is nice too ;).
Found my brother’s old ad copy. Good fun-writing Found my brother’s old ad copy. Good fun-writing inspiration...
Just in case I wasn’t feeling ancient enough, th Just in case I wasn’t feeling ancient enough, the rainbow jumper and white bobby socks oughta do it. No but wait! There’s a bowl cut. Annnnnnnddd giant gold-rimmed specs.
#CentennialFashion
Load More... Follow on Instagram
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Hello Chicky

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT